The above stages of opening of a lily fascinated me. I did miss a few stages between the last and the last but one stage, as I got 'distracted' by a family of Drongo birds in an amazing playful mood flying between trees near me.
As the twilight of the morning fell on the flowers, I noticeed three effects: the flower gradually opened, the colour of the flowers changed in the light and the direction of the flower too changed.
When the sun had risen the flowers looked even more colourful and elegant.
All of these changes happened over a period of one hour.
I learn a lot about child development from the sights I see in nature.
A life of a toddler goes through changes quickly for parents to notice. A mother spoke bout the 'mess' she noticed when she returned form the garden after gathering tomato. Her cupboard of clothes was open her three year daughter had pulled out most of the clothes. She wanted to get a saree to wear. She at three is lot into 'make belief play'. She watched her mother choose clothes from this wardrobe each day. Until recently she would have not have been tall enough to reach the handle of the cupboard to open it.. As if that was not enough surprise for the mother, she noticed that her daughter was with the lighter in her hand in attempt to light the gas fire. As the mother narrated a few other events of the day, I felt amused at the ingenuity of this girl to explore and act out what happens at home each day. She lived imaginatively and creatively, but for the mother there were some safety concerns and irritation for having to get the house in order after her daughter had 'made up a mess'. Th mother had to wait till her daughter was asleep at night to 'restore' the house to its order. This is a daily 'chore' for the mother.
This is the story of a growing and changing child. I sometimes wonder if the parents are 'ready' for watching these changes in their children delightfully and patiently!
I would not have known the rich colour, beauty and elegance of the lily, till it opened at sunrise. The parent craft is the 'sunrise ' in child development. It is as much as parents take delight and interest in the affairs of their children, children are enabled to blossom.
It is not just about parenting alone, but more about mindfulness to provide an enabling home for children!
A child grows or remains dormant depending on the affirmations and companionship we offer to them!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
No comments:
Post a Comment